off the deep end

A few months ago, I mentioned a cousin who had been taken in by conspiracy theories about Taylor Swift. He doesn't mention her anymore, but he does post about evil. It's always videos about the evil in society that us normal people don't seem to recognize. He doesn't comment, he just links to the videos. I won't click on them, of course, but they seem to be about many things in popular culture and mainstream society, like music, celebrities and LGBTQ+ issues. And it's always in terms of "evil."

Here's what I think happened. He was unhappy about somethingorother. Maybe Swift was what set him off. So he went in search of others who felt the same as him, and he found them. He found podcasters or vloggers or Instagram videos where people feel the same as he does, but expand on what he thought to begin with. And it opens his eyes. He realizes it's so much worse than he thought. He continues to watch the videos to learn more, and he keeps hearing these messages over and over.

The "over and over" part is important. That means he hears it so often, he believes it more fervently. That means that if a family member comes to him and says, "I don't think you're coming away with the correct message, their voice has been overridden by countless others. It means it doesn't matter how much hard evidence they present to back up their case, it's not enough.

One thing about this guy, is that he doesn't engage with anyone who comments. He just knows what is right, and he knows that we're wrong. At least that's how he feels, I'm sure. I don't think he has the ability to counter the facts that are presented. This is classic cognitive dissonance - these counterarguments cause distress, and the only way he has to combat it is to disengage.

Someone complained that this guy has gone off the deep end, and I think there's no bringing him back.